William zeller



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. ZELLER. V RAILROAD GATE. No. 442,001. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

WIN/E8858: I/VVE/VTOI? W 71 32210271. ZeTZer',

BY ATTORNEY (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. ZELLER RAILROAD GATE. No. 442,001. Patented 1060.2, 1890.

4 a. WITNESSES: R INVENTOR ATTORNEY lllllllmlllll' WTIIIIIIIIIIIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILIJAM ZELLER, OF MOORHEAD, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO IIALVOR RASMUSSON, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,001, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed July 8, 1890. Serial No. 358,080%. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: a 3y reference to said figure it will be seen Beitknown that I, WILLIAM ZELLER, residthat upon the lower end of each of the vertiing at Moorhead, in the county of Clay'and cal shaftsE is arranged a bevel-gear G,which State of Minnesota, have invented certain meshes with similar pinions II on the trans- 5 new and useful Improvements in Railroadverse shafts I, which are rocked by the pass- Gates, of which the following is a specificaing trains in the following manner: tion. Each of the shafts I is provided with oppo- My invention relates to that class of railsitely-projecting ears or lugs z'j. The upper way-gates which are employed at railroadone '5 of one axle is connected by means of a IO crossings to prevent persons, teams, &c., from pitman J with the lower lugj of the opposite 6o crossing the railroad-track when a train is axle. To each of the lowerlugs is also conapproaching, and which are automatically neetecl one end of a rod or bar K, the outer operated by the trains as they pass in either ends 7c of which are connected to the long direction, so that the roadway will be open arms Z of bell-crank levers L, the short arms I 5 when no train is passing and closed by the Z of which are connected by means of the pitgate as the train is passing. man-rods m with the outer ends of vertically- Myinvention consists in the novel construcswinging rail-sections M, pivoted atm to the tion and peculiar arrangementof parts, all of main rails, as shown. By this construction which will hereinafter be fully described in it will be seen that as the train passes in 20 the annexed specification, and particularly either direction the wheels will depress the pointed out in the claims, reference being had pivoted rail-sections M, which will, through to the accompanying drawings, in whichthe medium of the bell-crank levers and the Figure 1 is a perspective view of my imrods K, cause the shafts I to makea quarterproved railroadgate. Fig. 2 is a central lonturn and thereby serve, through the bevel- 2 5 gitudinal section thereof, and Fig. 3 a transgearconnections between said shaftsand the verse section of the same. gate post or shaft,to swing the gates from the In the accompanying drawings, A indicates position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2. the railroad-bed, and B the crossing, at which Suitable means are provided which serve point a suitable framing C is embedded below to temporarily hold the gates over the cross- 0 the tracks, which forms the support for the road as the train passes, and which are also gateshifting devices, hereinafter described. thrown out of operativeposition by the pass- D indicates four brackets secured upon ing train, so as to permit the gates to close in timbers d and arranged one at each corner automatically over the trackway after the of the crossing, the upper ends of which train has passed.

35 brackets are bent inward at D to form the By reference ,to Fig. 2 it will be seen that upper bearings of the vertical rock-shafts E the inner end of each of the rail-sections is E, the lower ends of which are mounted in provided with a lateral lug m which when bearings E E, secured upon the transverse the said rail-section M is depressed will entimbers or cross-ties c c, as shown. Each of gage spring-actuated pivoted locking-latches 40 the shafts E forms part of a gate-section F, N, the lower ends of which are connected by 0 and they are adapted when rocked to swing means of the rods 0 and the chain-sections P, the gate-sections to and fro. which pass over the pulleys 12 p with the lower In the practical adjustment of my devices ends of pivoted levers Q, the upper ends q of the gates F are so arranged that during the which project slightly above the main rails,

45 intervals between the passing trains the gates said ends q being connected by means of the 5 will stand across the track, as shown in Fig. rods R with the upper ends of the locking 1 of the drawings, and when atrain aplevers N, as shown. By this construction, proaches and engages the gate-shifting dewhen the train passes in the direction indi vices the gates will be swung to the position cated by the arrow in Fig. 1 the wheels will 50 shown in Fig. 2. depress the section M, and its lug m engag- Ioo ing the latch N, will be thereby held down in a locked position. Now, when the train has passed by the cross-road the forward wheel will engage the projecting end of the lever Q and force it forward, pulling the adjacent latch N back and allowing the section M which it holds to fly up. As the upper end of lever Q is pushed back, as described, its lower end will pull upon the chain P and rod 0 and swing the opposite latch N from engagement with its respective rail-section M, and thereby allow the gate-swinging mechanism to turn back to its normal position, the

shafts I being provided with suitable coiled springs T, which always act to rock them in one direction of movement.

From the foregoing description,taken in connection with the drawings, the advantages of my improved gate will readily appear. The same is simple in construction, can be cheaply put up, and will be positive in its desired operation.

W'hile I have shown the operating-levers in connection with but one of the main rails, it is manifest that a duplicate set can be applied to the opposite rail and both sets joined below the rail-bed, so as to obtain an additional power for swinging the gate-sections.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic railway-gate, the combination, with the gate-sections, formed each with a vertical rock-shaft E, the transverse rock-shafts I, (the said vertical and transverse shafts geared together, as shown,) the pivoted rail-sections M, the bell-crank levers L, the rods K, connecting said levers and the shafts I, the rods m, connecting said bell-v cranks with the sections M, and means for automatically rocking the shafts I back to their normal position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an automatic railway-gate, the combination, with the gate-sections, each formed with a vertical rock-shaft or support E, the spring-actuated rock-shafts I, geared therewith, the rail-sections M, formed with lateral lugs pivoted to the main rails and adapted to be depressed by the passing train, and the connections intermediatebetween the sections M and the rock-shafts I, of the pivoted springactuated latch-levers N, adapted to hold said sections down when depressed and also the gate-sections in their outward adjustment, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In an automatic railway-gate, the'combin ation, with the gate-sections, the transverse rockshafts geared therewith, the rail-sections M, formed withlateral lugs m and the intermediate devices connecting the sections M and the rock-shafts I, of the spring-actuated locking-latches N, adapted to engage the lugs thereto, whereby the passing train will move said levers Q outward and thereby release the latches N from the sections M, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

\VILLIAM ZELLER.

Witnesses:

A. G. LEwIs, DANIEL TETERS. 

